Dec. 17 is the 119th anniversary of the Wright Brothers' first flight. The day honors Orville and Wilbur Wright who in 1903 flew the first successful flight in a mechanically propelled airplane near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

Over a century later, northeastern Minnesota’s aviation industry is an important part of the region’s economy. It provides jobs, spurs private business and assists with essential community and health services. The area’s air transportation system has a wide-ranging impact on the region’s economy and quality of life.

There are 12 airports located within the Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation service area that connect the region to local, regional, national and international markets. They are located in Aitkin, Bigfork, Chisholm/Hibbing, Cook, Ely, Eveleth-Virginia, Grand Marais, Grand Rapids, Orr, Silver Bay, Tower and Two Harbors.

Range Regional Airport (RRA) is the region’s largest and was included in a 2019 economic impact study conducted by Minnesota Department of Transportation’s Office of Aeronautics. The study examined the economic impacts of the state’s public airports related to airport management, business tenants, capital investment, general aviation visitor spending and commercial visitor spending. The study concluded that RRA is responsible for 263 jobs in the region and over $36 million in economic activity.

Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation has provided infrastructure grants to RRA and many of the other airports to help pay for renovations and enhancements to runways and airfield lights, taxi lanes, hangars, aircraft parking aprons, passenger terminals, arrival and departure buildings, and auxiliary businesses. The agency has provided funding to support new and expanding business tenants at the airports including Detroit Diesel Reman, Midwest Aircraft Refinishing and Premium Air.

Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation’s grants are funded through taxes paid by Minnesota’s mining industry.

Chisholm-Hibbing Airport Authority (CHAA) is constructing a two-bay 21,900-square-foot commercial airplane hangar at Range Regional Airport (RRA) in Hibbing. The majority of the hangar space will be leased to a locally owned company, Premium Air, which provides on-demand charter service. The remaining portion will provide secure, climate-controlled rental space to transient visitors who regularly visit with mid to large size business jets. Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation supported the project with $389,375 in Community Development & Infrastructure grants and a $2.5 million direct loan to CHAA. Total project investment is $6.34 million.

The project also includes reconstruction of a 35,000-square-foot aircraft apron, construction of an 8,000-square-foot parking area and a 2,000-square-foot access road, improvement of security and fencing, and demolition of an outdated hangar and apron pavement.

Completion for the entire project is set for April 2023. Premium Air is currently leasing a hangar at Duluth International Airport (DLH) until the new hangar is completed.

Zim native Mark Parenteau founded Premium Air in 2017 when he saw the potential for private charter service in the region. He graduated from Cherry High School in 1981 and in 2009 founded Premium Plant Services, a hydroblasting company based in Hibbing with about 70 employees across locations in Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska and Wisconsin. While growing Premium Plant Services, Parenteau coached and refereed high school basketball on the Iron Range. He utilized a Cirrus airplane for business with his hydroblasting company, flying to branch locations.

Parenteau hired Biwabik native and 2001 Mesabi East graduate Josh Debevec in 2018 to serve as Premium Air’s Chief Pilot. Debevec is a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certified transport pilot with more than 4,000 hours of flight time. He earned a commercial aviation and flight degree from University of North Dakota and was a flight instructor there before becoming a professor at Lake Superior College’s aviation program in Duluth.

Premium Air provides private flights to anywhere in America in their three-passenger piston-engine Cirrus SR22. Premium Air is currently waiting FAA certification for their eight-passenger twin-engine turboprop Beechcraft King Air 350. The Cirrus is used for flights up to 400 miles. The Beechcraft flies at higher altitudes and is used for longer flights. The company strives to meet the market demand of the region’s medical, mining and other industries whose employees and leaders make monthly or bi-monthly trips to other facilities in locations such as Chicago, Fargo, Indiana, Michigan and beyond.

“Premium Air offers a service that was not previously available at the airport,” said Barrett Ziemer, Chisholm-Hibbing Airport Authority executive director. “The hangar will generate additional revenue for the airport in the form of lease and rental payments, increased aircraft fuel sales and other operational fees.”

Ziemer explained that prior to the new hangar all of the airport facilities were full and there was no available heated rental space for visitors to the region. CHAA wanted to construct a hangar for many years, however without a private company involved, aeronautic and economic development grants were limited. When Premium Air expressed interest in headquartering their operations at the airport, CHAA qualified for and received a $1.2 million grant from Minnesota Department of Transportation Aeronautics.

“The need for saving time and getting face-to-face with people drove Premium Plant Services to look into corporate flight service. Once I pulled the trigger on making the investment into a plane and staff, I soon realized significant gains in the company’s performance, not to mention spending more time with my family,” said Parenteau. “It wasn’t long after that I posed the question: If this helps my business, how many other companies in the area would benefit from a local air service that don’t necessarily want to make the investment and find the staff? Thus the start of Premium Air and a private charter service.”

Learn more about Premium Air.

Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation’s grants and loans are funded through taxes paid by Minnesota’s mining industry. Email Scott Sundvall or call him at 218-735-3015 for loan information. Email Chris Ismil or call him at 218-735-3010 for Development Infrastructure grant information.

A map laminate with original Anishinaabe names of northeastern Minnesota lakes, rivers, historical trading sites and village locations was developed by Ely Folk School (EFS) in partnership with the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa. The map displays a 100-mile expanse of boreal forest across the Band’s territory from Lake Vermilion to Nett Lake and entails 106 original Native American place names and meanings. Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation supported the project with a Culture & Tourism grant to EFS to help pay for eventual production of large weatherproof map panels for display at area schools and information kiosks. 

The map was unveiled last week at Bois Forte Heritage Center & Cultural Museum near Fortune Bay Resort Casino. The unveiling event took place in conjunction with Native American Heritage Month and Tribal State Relations Training.

The map was designed by Bois Forte artist and band member Louise Isham and crafted on a hand-painted historic template by artisanal map maker Keith Myrmel. The endeavor took place over two years and involved an abundance of research to ensure historical accuracy. The Ojibwe (Anishinaabe) language is primarily oral, so written records of the place names by the Ojibwe people do not exist. Instead the map information was gathered through numerous Ojibwe elders along with diaries of anthropologists and missionaries that are stored in Smithsonian archives.

Included on the map are sidebars with historical information about the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa, their chiefs and traditions. It also includes the migration story that led them here from the eastern seaboard 600 years ago following a dream vision about a place where food abundantly grew on the water. That food was wild rice or “manoomin,” which continues as a central source of their physical and spiritual sustenance.

“This map highlights our region’s native heritage and Ojibwe ancestors who have lived here for hundreds of years,” said Rick Anderson, EFS board member and Bois Forte band member. “The project was a natural extension of the school’s mission to serve as a bridge between the region’s native and non-native residents.”

The map’s concept originated from EFS summer programs for crafting traditional Ojibwe birchbark canoes and group canoe trips to powwows at Ontarios’ Lac La Croix village.

“Our canoe trip group learned that the Lac La Croix Village residents had researched and mapped native place names for Quetico Park,” said Paul Schurke, EFS board member. “We wondered if something similar could be done for our area, and eventually we found the original names which are very lyrical, descriptive and poetic.”

Examples of Ojibwe name meanings:

• Vermilion Lake (Onamuni Zaaga’iganiin) means “lake with red sunset glow.”
• City of Tower (Ganisha-Zagiwunkodena) means “town of two outlets.”
• Vermilion Dam (Kakidjiwumonk) means “at the falls of the river.”

Schurke explained that EFS’s long term goal is to expand the map to include all of the Arrowhead region.

Other project partners included Lake Country Power, Arrowhead Regional Arts Council, and class revenue and donations to Ely Folk School. Learn more about Ely Folk School and the map.

Email Danae Beaudette or call her at 218-735-3022 for Culture & Tourism grant information.

A 2,600-square-foot splash pad is scheduled to open next summer in Chisholm’s Memorial Park adjacent to the city-owned campground. The water play area will be free to use for people of all ages, offer local residents healthy outdoor recreation and add to the region’s quality of life. Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation supported the project with a $30,000 Culture & Tourism grant that helped pay for water features, mechanical equipment and pumps. Total project investment is $185,000.

The project was led by the Chisholm Kiwanis Club. The Kiwanis celebrated their 100th anniversary in July 2020 and decided to bring the splash pad to the community as a commemorative project.

The groups entered the proposed project into Kiwanis International’s “Legacy of Play H20" contest and won first place which garnered $50,000 towards the splash pad. The contest was in partnership with Landscape Structures, Inc. and awarded the funds to one Kiwanis club to use towards the purchase of an AquaSmart™ splash pad package.

“From the very beginning, this project has had an immense amount of community support,” said Shannon Kishel-Roche of Chisholm Kids PLUS. “The Kiwanis Splash Pad will be an amazing asset for all Chisholm residents and visitors.”

Other project partners included Chisholm Chamber of Commerce, Chisholm Community Foundation, Chisholm Kids PLUS, Chisholm Public Utilities Commission, Chisholm City Council, individual volunteers, businesses and community organizations.

Email Danae Beaudette for Culture & Tourism grant information or call her at 218-735-3022.

The Giants Ridge winter sports season began Friday, Nov. 25 with the opening of the alpine mountain and a portion of the alpine runs. Giants Ridge continues to make snow and open additional runs and terrain as weather conditions allow. Once the facility is fully open later this month, guests may enjoy alpine and Nordic skiing, freestyle skiing in two terrain parks, snow tubing, fat tire biking and snowshoeing.

Giants Ridge offers ski lessons for all ages. There is a 210-foot SunKid covered conveyor lift with a gallery enclosure located on the beginner area. It is fully lit with multi-color LED lighting and is accessible to kids and adults. A Kids Holiday Camp is available Dec. 27, 28 and 29. Kids ages 7 to 12 enjoy a three-hour lesson each day that focuses on fun, skill development and safety.

Ladies age 18 and over may enjoy the new Ride Like a GRL (Giants Ridge Ladies) program designed to encourage more women to get involved in mountain sports. Personalized coaching and confidence building skills will be led by Mountain Sports Academy Director Heidi Jo and the academy’s top female instructors. It will be offered to all levels of skiers three Saturdays each in January and February.

Learn more about the Giants Ridge Snow Sports Academy, advance registration and program dates and details.

New this winter is an electronic lift ticket scanner at the mountain base. Paper lift tickets with metal wickets and plastic season passes have been replaced with RFID chip-embedded cards that will trigger and open one of the facility’s new Axess gates located at chairlifts.

RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification Device and consists of a small circuit integrated into lift tickets and season passes. When skiers pass through the lift line, their circuit will register and open an access gate automatically for hands-free and streamlined lift access.

RFID began appearing at America’s other ski areas about 10 years ago, providing them more accurate ticket validation and reduced fraud. Giant Ridge expects to also see benefits to customers including safety. The RFID system can provide a record of times and locations of skiers on the mountain which can help during inclement weather and accidents. The system also helps the ski area determine which runs and trails are the most popular and when, which can help with grooming and maintenance schedules.

Learn more about the new Giants Ridge RFID ticketing system.

Also new is lighting on the Melbourne alpine ski lift which doubles the number of green runs available for night skiing. The new lighting is part of the facility’s multi-phase goal of converting the mountain to energy efficient LED lights that reduces energy costs and provide better coverage for night skiing.

Giants Ridge is owned by Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation and managed by Guest Services, a hospitality management company in the United States since 1917.

Learn more about Giants Ridge hours of operation, snow conditions and winter offerings.